all those who accompanied us for the first dozen
miles on our journey; for I had made many friends, and they insisted on
doing this. We had two very roomy carriages. My father, my maid, two
German violinists, and myself were in the first; the second contained
our luggage.

"At the first change of horses after Pskoff, the postmaster told us that
Trischka and his band had been seen a few days previously on the road to
Dunabourg, at the same time, he seemed to think very lightly of the
matter, and, addressing himself particularly to me, opined that, with a
little diplomacy on my part and a good deal of _sang-froid_, I might be
let off very cheaply. All went well until the middle of the next night,
when all of a sudden, in the thick of a dense forest, our road was
barred by a couple of horsemen, while a third opened the door of our
carriage. It was Trischka himself. 'Mademoiselle Taglioni?' he said in
very good German, lifting his hat. 'I am Mademoiselle Taglioni,' I
replied in French. 'I know,' he answered, with a deeper bow than before.
'I was told you were coming this way. I am sorry, mademoiselle, that I
could not come to St. Petersburg to see you dance, but as chance has
befriended me, I hope you will do me the honour to dance before me
here.' 'How can I dance here, in this road, monsieur?' I said
beseechingly. 'Alas, mademoiselle, I have no drawing-room to offer you,'
he replied, still as polite as ever. 'Nevertheless,' he continued, 'if
you think it cannot be done, I shall be under the painful necessity of
confiscating your carriages and luggage, and of sending you back on foot
to the nearest post-town.' 'But, monsieur,' I protested, 'the road is
ankle-deep in mud.' 'Truly,' he laughed, showing a beautiful set of
teeth, 'but your weight won't make any difference; besides, I dare say
you have some rugs and cloths with you in the other carriage, and my men
will only be too pleased to spread them on the ground.'

"Seeing that all my remonstrance would be in vain, I jumped out of the
carriage. While the rugs were being laid down, my two companions, the
violinists, tuned their instruments, and even papa was prevailed upon to
come out, though he was sulky and never spoke a word.

"I danced for about a quarter of an hour, and I honestly believe that I
never had such an appreciative audience either before or afterwards.
Then Trischka led me back to the carriage, and, simply lifting his hat,
bade me adieu. 'I keep the rugs